Dawson Bounces back with Win over Central Arizona

After a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer on Sunday to #6 ranked Pima Community College, Dawson bounced back with a 103-84 win over the Central Arizona Vaqueros on Monday afternoon in their last non-conference game and their last game of the Pima Aztec Classic in Tucson. 

It didn't look very promising early on as the Bucs fell behind by 13 points midway through the first half, but once Dawson came back and took the lead, they stayed in control the rest of the way for the win. The Bucs used pressure defense to force 13 first half turnovers and help change the tide. Seth Amunrud and Brandon Hymes led the way, reaching double digits in the opening half. CAC shot a little higher percentage from the field, but Dawson took nine more shots.

Throughout the second half, Dawson was in front and seemed like they were going to put it away, though that never really happened until late in the game. The Bucs defense tightened up, holding CAC to 35% shooting in the second half and forcing 11 more turnovers. It was Jordan Jasper and Justin Asi who led the second half charge for Dawson on the offensive end, each scoring 11 points after the break. The lead gradually increased throughout the half and the Vaqueros finally ran out of steam. Dawson held them without a field goal over the final six minutes of the game. Their biggest lead was 22 points with a minute left. 

The Bucs shot 53% from the field for the game and 44% from the three-point line. They also forced 24 turnovers in the contest. 

Jordan Jasper led Dawson in scoring with 19 points on 8-12 shooting. Brandon Hymes added 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Seth Amunrud and Justin Asi both pumped in 17 points. Asi also had a game high 9 rebounds. Sam Massaquoi contributed 11 points in 16 minutes. 

"We came out really flat today after two really tough games over the past two days," commented Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "We didn't have the intensity necessary to compete at a high level. Eventually we got it going though. It always starts with our defense and rebounding. When we do that well, the rest of it takes care of itself. It's been a great week in Arizona. We've played some great competition and really got pushed to the limit. We've learned some things about ourselves and this will make us a lot better moving forward. We've also enjoyed some sunshine and grown closer as a team on and off the court. We are excited to get the Mon-Dak Conference season underway." 

The Bucs end their non-conference schedule with an impressive 14-2 record. Their only losses were on the road against 16-1 Gillette College and on the road against 15-0 Pima Community College. Dawson returns home to open conference play with games on Sunday, January 5th vs. Lake Region State College at 4:00 pm and Monday, January 6th vs. North Dakota State College of Science at 7:30 pm.